2001 A Spaced Odyssey

Abstract

The author, a faculty member and supervisor at New York University’s (NYU) postdoctoral program in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, and, a psychologist in private practice on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, weaves together personal and clinical vignettes to give her views of how New York City and its residents were affected by the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. In the process, she discovers tremendous difficulty writing, following her initial resistance to taking on the project. It seems that the chaotic, nonintegrative sense she has when trying to organize her thoughts somewhat mirrors the experience of trauma itself. The ways in which the NYU postdoctoral community mobilized in the immediate aftermath of the crisis are also discussed. These include providing support for its members and establishing and coordinating an elaborate network of psychologists to provide services wherever needed. It is suggested that the crisis of September 11 affected both the public perception of the value of mental health treatment and the growing psychoanalytic trend toward more relational practices.